Giants, Manny, it makes sense
Posted: Monday, February 02, 2009 4:49 PM
Five baseball questions obscured by the Super Bowl weekend:
1. CAN MANNY RAMIREZ REALLY BECOME A GIANT? I noticed over the weekend that Larry Baer, recently elevated to Giants President, was quoted, for the first time in my memory on Manny Ramriez. Why is that important? Baer is the man most responsible for Barry Bonds’ lengthy tenure with the Giants. Baer believes in star power. He believes in the marquee and the importance of having a name to highlight in bright lights. Tim Lincecum can’t be the one -- a starter only plays in 15 of the 81 home games. It must be a position player and Ramirez makes sense in many ways for the Giants.
The dollars are an issue as the Giants are still buried under several unwieldy long-term deals (Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand). Here’s what I noticed: the Giants have $33 million in contracts coming off their books next fall (Randy Winn, Dave Roberts, Bengie Molina, Noah Lowry and Randy Johnson. And what If they hadn’t signed Edgar Renteria to a puzzling two-year deal?
Something else that registered with me when reading Billy Beane’s thoughts about trading for Matt Holliday. Beane talked about the importance of taking pressure off his young pitchers, allowing them to work without fear of error, without the need to be perfect. Nothing better describes the Giants’ experience with Matt Cain. Saddled with poor run support for two years, Cain has been unable to rise above that (a la Lincecum) and become a winner. Owners of the game’s worst offense last year (the first team to hit under 100 homers since 1993), the Giants have a screaming need for a Ramirez-like bat. I have thought a Manny-Giants marriage unlikely but Baer’s comments and a closer look at the team payroll are causing me to wonder if it might happen.
Baer has a strong working relationship with Scott Boras. Another aside: How many of us enjoyed lots of laughs when Albert Pujols reported that Ramirez said, no one wanted to sign him? It was about a day after Boras reported through his media mouthpieces that the Ramirez market had heated up. Baer knows the Giants need to keep season tickets from falling even more (down from 29,000 to under 20,000). Baer knows that signing Ramirez completely changes the balance of power in the NL West. And general manager Brian Sabean, for the first time, reports to Baer. I’m paying closer attention.
2. HOW WILL JOE TORRE’S BOOK IMPACT THE DODGERS? While the New York tabloids obsess about the past, more relevant is what Torre faces in a few weeks when the Dodgers hold their first spring training in Arizona. A team built around a young core, even if Manny Ramirez is back, could reasonably wonder about the sanctity of their clubhouse.
Players don’t need to like their manager but they need to trust him as well as all within their traveling group. No one can operate with any concern that the “backstage” life could become public. Torre is smart and he certainly knows this issue must be addressed. It has been duly noted that the Dodgers are an organization committed to community events. And while they are conducting their annual community caravan, Torre is touring the East to promote his book.
3. WHAT ISN’T DISCUSSED ABOUT THE BOOK? Like most with voices and forums, I have only read the excerpts. But I am fascinated that Torre has not backed away from one word. If the background reports are accurate, Torre had final approval on the manuscript. Still, we have lived through subjects claiming their own words have been twisted, distorted, misunderstood, misapplied or misused. Torre and author Tom Verducci are both men of high integrity. Both have reputations above reproach although last week saw the first dents in Torre’s image. And there is absolutely no retreat on anything from the collaboration. They wrote it and they will stand by it. Refreshing and a measure of the men.
As an aside I have heard some voices question the book’s format. It is not new. In 1992, I authored “Season of Dreams,” a story of the Minnesota Twins’ 1991 World Series title. I wrote the book in the third person but the entire story was told from the view of manager Tom Kelly. He did not want a first person account and he received approval over the manuscript, the same arrangement reached by Torre and Verducci. A measure of this man, Kelly insisted and I agreed that all proceeds (modest as they were) from our collaboration were donated to the Twins Community Fund. You can still find the book (#12 when you click on this link) if you're a fan of baseball history.
4. WHEN DID THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC…become a tryout camp? I was stunned by the Pedro Martinez story over the weekend. It seems that Martinez is going to prove his health and worth by pitching for the Dominican Republic in the WBC. This is supposed to be baseball’s World Cup, the true global event that Olympic baseball has never achieved. Attracting players has been a challenge. I can’t fathom the MLB powers, who have worked so diligently to make the WBC a reality, enjoy seeing it used as a “showcase.”
5. WILL THE UNSIGNED COMPROMISE? Pitchers and catchers report in two weeks. Dozens of once-premier stars remain free agents. Jason Varitek was the first to accept reality. Will others come to grips with the world they fell into? I wonder about Moises Alou. And wouldn’t he be a terrific sign for a contending AL team? Two absolutes about Alou: he can no longer play the field and he can flat out hit. A team could get a steal if they could accept Alou’s limitations: no more than 100 games as DH and absolutely no aggressive baserunning.
